Prior art test equipment includes automatic testers for testing electronic memory modules. The electronic memory modules have typically comprised circuit boards which have random access memory (RAM) integrated circuits mounted thereto. The circuit boards have been provided with surface contact pads which are typically aligned along one edge of the circuit board. This type edge connector configuration has been utilized for connecting the RAM integrated circuit components mounted to the circuit board to data buses of the devices within which the memory modules are used. Such memory modules have included SIMM, DIMM, and SODMM types of memory. Additionally, memory cards may also be utilized having the appearance of a credit card, and also having surface connectors mounted thereto for connecting the internally disposed memory thereof to equipment in which the aforementioned memory module is used.
As is well known in the art, memory modules and the edge connectors therefor have been greatly reduced in size in recent years. The size of the connecter contact members has often been expressed in terms of the distance between corresponding points on adjacent ones of the surface contact pads of the electronic memory modules. Prior art contact pad spacings have been sized from 0.050 to 0.070 inches apart (50 mil to 70 mil). More recently, component spacings of 0.030 inches (30 mil) down to 0.025 inches (25 mil) have been utilized in fabricating electronic memory modules.
Electronic memory modules are typically tested after manufacturing to assure that they will perform properly after installation into a data processing system. Usually, a test connector is removably secured to edge connectors of the electronic memory modules under test to make contact to the surface pads for connecting the electronic memory modules to testing circuitry. In the prior art, automatic memory module test equipment included automatic memory module handlers. These prior art handlers typically utilized a conveyer belt for automatically feeding components through the test equipment. A stop was often utilized which was selectively retractable. The stop was selectively extended to stop the electronic memory module under test in a second position for engaging a connector to electrically connect the electronic memory module under test to the test equipment circuitry. However, recent reductions in the size of spacings between contact pads have reduced the ability of prior art handlers to adequately position the electronic memory modules edge surface contact pads for aligning with the test leads of the test connectors mounted to the handler equipment. This often results in test failures caused by misalignment between the test leads and the surface contact pads. Improvements for more closely aligning electronic memory modules under test with tester equipment connectors are desirable, such that alignment therebetween will be improved and the failure rate of electronic memory modules caused by inadequate testing procedures and equipment will be reduced.
The circuitry of currently existing prior art tester modules may be suitable for testing electronic memory modules of smaller contact pad spacings than those for which the prior art tester modules were initially intended to test. However, the contact spacings of the connectors which are mounted directly to the tester modules for interconnecting the tester module circuitry to test contacts may be of a larger size spacing than the spacing of the test contacts and the spacing of the electronic memory modules to be tested. The tester contacts that are sized for testing the electronic memory modules which have the smaller contact spacings cannot be utilized for directly engaging the larger sized connectors which are mounted directly to the tester modules. Additionally, the circuitry of the tester modules often requires that the conductive paths between the tester circuitry and the electronic memory modules under test have particular impedance values for closely matching to impedance values which are suitable for the tester module circuitry.